Man, 90, jailed on charges he punched state trooper in Indiana County

Russell Stiffler threatened to shoot, police say

A 90-year-old man has been jailed on charges he punched a state trooper called to the man's Indiana County home to check on the welfare of his wife.

Police said Russell Stiffler, 90, threatened to shoot any troopers or medical personnel who came to his home after police were asked to check on Jane Stiffler just before 6 p.m. Friday.

"He threatened he had a piece in the trailer, a revolver, a small revolver. He had a couple rifles. You don't do that," said Jane's granddaughter Debra Smith.

When troopers arrived, police said Stiffler met them outside and refused to show his hands and, instead, punched a trooper and was arrested. The trooper was not injured.

Jane Stiffler's daughter, Mildred Smith, told Channel 4 Action News' Ashlie Hardway that Russell Stiffler wouldn't let her talk to her mother, so she requested a welfare check. Mildred Smith recently suffered a stroke and said she was trying to notify her mother of her medical condition, but repeated calls to the Stifflers' home ended in hang-ups.

She said Stiffler and her mom were married more than 60 years ago, got divorced, married other people and then remarried when their spouses died.

"He's being arrogant. He's dangerous. It's the way he is. He's the type of person, 'I can do this, I can do that,'" Mildred Smith said of Stiffler.

Jane Stiffler spoke to Hardway off camera and said this was a family misunderstanding. She said her husband had no idea why state police were near his home and he did not know he was going to be arrested. She added he was supposed to be released from jail Tuesday afternoon.

This wasn't Russell Stiffler's first run-in with police, according to the Indiana County district attorney.

"It was a similar situation involving our aging services and law enforcement, and this individual was resistant to help from outside agencies," said Pat Dougherty. Dougherty said he did not believe criminal charges were filed as a result of the prior incident.

Dougherty added welfare checks on the elderly can sometimes be sensitive situations.

"They feel like you're taking their independence and their livelihood, so any time our law enforcement goes into these situations, it can be a volatile situation," he said.

Online court records don't list an attorney for Stiffler, who faces a hearing March 25.

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